LD 2159 

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Copy 1 



THE BELLS 



or 



HARVARD C0LLE6E. 



A. H. NICHOLS, M.D. 



BOSTON : 

1911. 



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m 



iBdl0 of ^ art) orb College 



THE 



BELLS OF MRYARD COLLEGE 



BY 

ARTHUR HOWARD NICHOLS, M.D. 



PRESS OF DAVID CLAPP & SON 
BOSTON 
1911 






Reprinted from the 

New England Historical and Genealogical Register 

for July, 1911 

.m -'* 1912 



BELLS OF HAEVAED COLLEGE* 



In the college buildings, to each of which the term " College '' was in- 
variably applied from 1642 to 1720, there have been installed at various 
times no less than eight bells, as verified by information, authentic if often 
Yery meagre, that has come down to us. The recent discovery, incident 
to the excavation for the Cambridge Subway, of ancient foundation walls 
has been thought to strengthen the theory that the original College stood 
near the site of Gray's Hall, though Goffe's College, of which little is 
known, must have been situated in that vicinity. 

While no picture of the first College exists, detailed descriptions of the 
floor-plans make it possible to reproduce an approximate design of the ex- 
terior, the front of which we know was broken by a turret surrounded by 
a " lanthorn." This turret shows the intent to provide a bell, an instru- 
ment at that date of prime necessity in every community, clocks and watches 
not having come into general use. The following extractf from the " Rules 
and Precepts that are observed in the Colledge," contained in a book en- 
titled "New England's Fkst Fruits," published in London in 1643, in- 
dicates that a bell was already in use : 

FIRST BELL 

7. Every schoUar shall be present in his Tutor's Chambers at the 7th houre 
in the morning immediately after the sound of the hell at his opening the Scrip- 
tures and prayer, so also at the 5th houre at night, and their give an account of 
his own private reading, as aforesaid, in particular the third, and constantly 
attend lectures at the houres appointed. But if any without necessary impedi- 
ment shall absent himself from prayer or lectures, he shall be lyable to admoni- 
tion, if he offend above once a week. 

A second reference to this bell is found in " Certain Orders by the 
Scholars and Ofiicers of the Colledge to bee observed, written, 28 March, 
1650:" t 

The Butler upon every Sixt Day of the week at noon is to give an account to 
every SchoUar demanding his weeks sizings in the Buttery & is not bound to 
stay above half an hour at Bevers in Buttery after the Tolling of the bell, Nor 
above a quarter of an hour after Thanksgiving in the Hall at Meals, The Cook 
on the Sixt Day at Noon shall give in the weeks expenses of the whole society, 
wcb the Butler shall enter into his Book, according to Custome & shal keep the 
Bills from Quarter to Quarter and shew them to the Stewart at his demand for 
his satisfaction. 

A shade of doubt may, indeed, be cast upon the identity of this bell by 
the suggestion that the College may have had the use of the bell of the 
First Parish, with which close relations had been established from its founda- 
tion. In fact one of the reasons for selecting Cambridge as the site of the 
College was the proximity of this church, then under the ministry of 
Thomas Shepard,|| a clergyman of marked ability and piety, and the first 
Commencement was held in this meeting house. 

* Expanded from a paper read before The Colonial Society of Massachusetts, April 
28, 1910. 
fPeirce's Hist, of Harv. Coll., Appendix, p. 4. 
X College Book I, p. 50. 
II Johnson, Wonder Working Providence, Poole's Reprint, p. 164. 



To remove all uncertainty on this point it becomes necessary to show 
that the College possessed the only bell in Cambridge at the time when 
these " Rules and Precepts " were framed. Now it is known that the first 
mention of any bell in use in Massachusetts occurs in the History of Cam- 
bridge by Prince, who says that in 1632 " the first house for public worship 
at Newtown [Cambridge] with a bell upon it " was built ; and Holmes states 
that the town records confirm this statement, and that the town meetings 
were called by the ringing of the bell. Goss* adds that for some reasons 
not known a drum was afterwards substituted, as mentioned by Edward 
Johnson in " Wonder Working Providence " when on approaching the 
town a drum was heard calling the people to meeting. Furthermore, in 
1646, the records contain an order for the payment of fifty shillings to a 
man for his services to the town in beating the drum. 

The explanation of this temporary substitution of a drum is found in the 
history of the Society organized under Thomas Hooker. Of two hundred 
Puritans who came over in one company, many had settled in Newtown 
and built the first meeting house, which stood on the west side of Water, 
now Dunster Street, a little south of Spring, now Mt. Auburn Street. In 
the summer of 1636 Mr. Hooker with his entire congregation, one hundred 
in number, emigrated to the place in Connecticut called Hartford ; and it 
is recorded that they carried with them their bell. Here it is said to have 
been in use upon the First Church till it was broken in 1825. It was re- 
placed by another, cast in 182 7. f 

The meeting house in Cambridge thus left vacant was at once bought by 
the Society, which had been organized February 1, 1636, under Mr. Shepard, 
known thereafter as the First Church in Cambridge ; but for at least ten 
years thereafter the church seems to have been without a bell. That on 
the College therefore was the only one in use during this interval. 

A vote of the Parish in 1648 indicates that the first bell had then been 
replaced by another, for it was ordered : 

That there shall be an eight peny ordnary provided by the Townsmen [Select- 
men] every second munday of the month upon there meeteing day ; and that 
whoesoever of the Townsmen fail to be present within half an houre of the 
ringing of the bell, (which shall be halfe an houre after eleven of the clock) he 
shall both lose his dinner and, pay a pint of sacke, or the value thereof, to the 
present Townsmen. 

Tracing further the history of this second church bell, it was removed 
to the second meeting house, erected in 1650, upon Watch House Hill, 
within the present College Yard and near the site of Dane Hall. Replaced 
by a larger bell given in 1700 by Capt. Andrew Belcher, it was then voted 
by the Town to give " the little meeting house bell " to the Cambridge 
Farms, now Lexington. 

SECOND BELL 

In College Book III is the following entry in the handwriting of the 
Treasurer, Danforth. It is uncertain whether the date of this entry is 
1658, 1659, or possibly a year or two later, but the reference is unques- 
tionably to a second bell. 

Mr. John Willet gave to the Colledge the Bell now hanging in the Turrett. 

Subsequent allusions to this bell are found in the College Records, for 
example : 

♦Register, vol. 28, p. 279. 

fllist. of First Church in Hartford, Walker, pp. 222-3. 



At a meeting of the Overseers, in 1660, it was ordered: 

4. Whereas (through long experience) former Laws have not been effectuall 
for tlie p^venting of unnecessary dammages to the CoUedge, by the violence or 
carelessness of those for whose Accommodation great cost & charges have from 
time to time been expended. The Overseers do therefore order, that henceforth 
all due care be taken for the p^venting thereof ; And that where any dammage 
shall be found done to any Study or Chamber inhabited, The p^son or p''sons 
resident therein shall make good the same, and where any dammage is done to 
ye Edifice of the Colledge (excepting by the inevitable providence of God) to 
any vacant Chamber, or Study, the Colledge fences about the yard, pump, Bell 
or clock &c. : the same shall be made good again by all the Students resident in 
the Colledge at the time when such dammages shall be done or discovered to be 
done & shall be duly payd in their Quarter Bills to the Steward of the Col- 
ledge, who shall repay the same to the Treasurer or oth^ such ofiicers of the 
Colledge as shall be appoynted to disburse the same. (Coll. Bk. Ill, p. 24.) 

At a meeting of the Overseers at the President's house, March, 1667 : 

The Orders following were confirmed untill the Overseers shall see cause to 
take them into further consideration. (Coll. Lawes. Eadem. Lib. I, p. 37.) 

4. The Steward is from time to time to pay the CoUedge officers , viz. The 
Tuto'"s, Cook, Butler & BeUringer, their respective dues, sallaryes, also to allow 
the monitors Account. (Coll. Bk. Ill, p. 34.) 

18. The Buttlar upon ev''y 6th day at noon shall give an Account to ev^y 
Schollar demanding his weeks sizings in the Buttery ; & he is not bound to stay 
above half e an hour at breakfast in the buttery, after the Tolling of y^ beU ; nor 
above a quarter of an hour after thanksgiving in the Hall, at meales. 

(Coll. Bk. Ill, p. 36.) 

23. The Bell-Ringers office is to ring the Bell (except for meales) to keep 
the clock & call the president to prayrs, for which he shall receive from the 
Steward five pound per annum. (Coll. Bk. Ill, p. 36.) 

An abbreviate of the College Accounts conteyning both receits and disburse- 
ments from October, 1654, until Decemb. 1663. Extracted out of the Colledge 
Books, made and given in by Thomas Danforth, Trear. 

Harvard College is Debto^^ : 

Imp's. To m's Dunster in full of her demands 020 00 00 

To Table Linnen and Utensills for y^ Buttery 006 08 06 

To expences at M' Turners 007 03 06 

To Sallaryes and Allowances payd to the Fellows & other CoUedge 

Officers for 9 years past ----- 445 13 06 

To repairs of the Edifices Presidents Lodge and fences &c. for 9 

years past 337 11 01 

To loss in peage received at 8 a penny - 055 06 11 

To freight of a chest of Books 001 00 00 

To M"- Carter 005 00 00 

To a stags head send to England to a Benef acto' ._---_ OOO 10 00 

To moneys payd for exchange of a Bell 006 02 06 

To a parcell of land on w<^^ the Coll. now stands 020 10 00 

(Coll. Bk. Ill, p. 46.) 

The amount allowed as above in exchange of a bell, doubtless the ori- 
ginal bell, indicates that its weight was about 150 pounds. Of the early 
bells of the colonists none are known to have exceeded three hundred 
pounds in weight. 

The steward shaU deliver in, to y^ Butler, his Bread at 5^ ye bushell, allowing 
to every Bushell 70 Loaves, ye weight of every Loafe being proportionable to 
ye Current price of wheate, as in ye Country statute, for white bread ; & shall 
deliver in his Beer at 2^^ the BarreU, each Barrell consisting of 16 Beer Gallons : 
allowing thereunto a Peck of Mault. — The steward is from time to tyme, to pay 
ye Colledge officers, viz ye Tutors, Cook, Butler, & Belleringer, y respective 
Dues and Sallaries ; & allso, to allow ye Monitors Account.— The steward shall 
be accountable, & pay unto ye Treasurer Quarterly, w* shall be given in, in ye 
q'tr Bill, in ye Ace" of Study-Rents & glass-mending. He shaU be allowed in his 
Acc"S 5^^ qurt'ly, for his salary. 



June 1, 1676. Ordered, That Will : Bordman, CoUedge Smith, be payd by the 
Treasurer 20 shill : for mending the Clock : & that he be allowed 12 shill : per 
annu for that Service for the future. (Coll. Bk. Ill, p. 68.) 

At a meeting of the Corporation, August 22, 1676 : 

2. That the Butler ring y^ bell at five of y® clock in ye morning, winter & 
summer, and at nine of y^ clock at night throughout y^ yeare, beside his ringing 
at ye other stated times for prayers & Meales. (Coll. Bk. I, p. 81.) 

7. If any Scholar shall be Absent from publick worship in the meeting house 
on either part of the Lord's day, without giving sufficient reason, he shall be 
fined three Shillings. And if bodyly Infirmity or any other Necessary occasion 
prevents his Attendance on said Worship, he shall Notilie his Tutor, and in his 
Absence y^ President, or some other Tutor, at the ringing of the first Bell, 
otherwise his Absence shall be esteemed Groundless. 

(Coll. Bk. I, pp 184-5, chap. 2.) 

8. Inasmuch as complaints have been made of disorders in y^ meeting house, 
by Scholars going theither before the ringing of the Second Bell ; it is therefore 
ordered, y* no undergraduates Slia[ll] go to y® meeting House on the Lords day, 
before y® ringing of the Second Bell. And whoever shall transgress this LaAV, 
Shall be punished by the President or one of the Tutors, not exceeding Tw[o] 
ShiUings. (Coll. Bk. I, pp. 184-5, chap. 2.) 

3. The waiters when the Bell tolls at meal tim[e] shall receive the Plates 
and Victualls at the Kitchen Hatch, & carry the same to the severall tables for 
which they are designed. And none shall receive their commons, ou[t] of the 
Hall, Except in case of Sickness, or som[e] weighty Occasion. And the Senior 
Tutor, or Other Senior Scholar in the Hall Shall crave a blessing & return 
thanks. And al[l] the Scholars while at their meals. Shall sit in then' Places, 
& behave themselves, decent[ly] & orderly; and whosoever shall be rude or 
Clamourous at such time, or shall go out o[f] the Hall before thanks be returned, 
Shall be punished by one of the Tutors, not exceeding five shillings. 

(Coll. Bk. I, p. 195, chap. 5.) 

9. The Butler shall wait upon the President at the Hours for prayer in the 
Hall, for his Orders to ring the Bell ; and also upon the Professors for their 
Lectures, as usual ; he shall likewise ring the bell for commons according to 
custom, and at five a clock in y^ morning, & at nine at nigiit. And the said 
Buttler for these and Other Services (to which no particular reward is assigu'd) 
shall be Allow'd Sixteen pounds per annum, to be paid by the Undergraduates, 
and charged in their quarter bills. (Coll. Bk. I, p. 200, chap 7.) 

Peb. 2. 1679 Ordered, that the Treasurer pay Aaron Bordman 20 shill p annum 
for keeping y® clock in repayr. (Coll. Bk. Ill, p. 72.) 

. 1686. Rules & Orders respecting the Steward Cook & Butler of Harvard Col- 
lege. 

9. The Butler shall call y^ Rector to Prayers Morning and Evening at the 
Set Times, and tole and ring y<= Bell at five of the clock in y^ Morning and at 
nine in the Evening. (Coll. Bk. Ill, p. 88.) 

It is to be observed that while the colonists brought from England an 
attachment for musical bells they were also accurate in the use of technical 
words relating to them, many of which, such as " gudgeons," " baldrick," 
" rowel,"* " brasses," " fillet," " flight," " clapper-clamps," having since be- 
come virtually obsolete in this country. Hence their discrimination in the 
use of the words " ring " and " toll." For instance, the bell was " rung " to 
give preliminary warning of approaching service, recitation or meals ; that 
is, it was swung so as to describe a comj^lete revolution, backward and for- 
ward, with each impact of the clapper, and the interval between the strokes 
was therefore long. 

But to give notice that service or recitation was about to begin, or that 
meals were about to be served, the bell was " tolled," or swung only over 

*Tlic word "rowel," a little wheel, apart from its use iu heraldry, is now cmploj'ed 
only iu conuection with a spur. 




MASSACHUSETTS HALL, from a Sketch circa 1798 



a small arc of the circle in such a way as to allow the clapper to fall upon 
but one side of the sound bow. For deaths and funerals, however, it was 
customary to mount the belfry and toll the bell once in fifteen seconds by 
means of a rope hitched to the flight, or lower extremity of the clapper. 
In many country towns this custom is still kept up.^ 

The second Harvard College, built between 1672 and 1680, was a sub- 
stantial brick edifice from the middle of which arose a low but capacious 
belfry. Inasmuch as this building was designed to take the place of the 
original College, then ruinous and pulled down in 1680, it is probable that 
Willet's bell was transferred to the new belfry. Here it is believed to have 
done service for nearly a century ; and later was melted or, at least, badly 
damaged in the disastrous fire of 1764, which destroyed the library, philo- 
sophical apparatus, and personal effects of certain students who occupied 
rooms there. President Holyoke, writing to the General Court, declared 
the destruction to have been complete and that nothing was saved.f A 
passage from the Corporation Records of January 13, 1764, entered but 
a few days before this fire, furnishes final reference to this second bell : 

" The Governor came to town about one o'clock, soon after wliich all went 
into the Chapel [Holden] at the tolling of the bell, the President and Corpora- 
tion leading," 

THIRD BELL 

Massachusetts College, or Hall, was built 1718-20. | On September 5, 
1722, it was " Voted, that M"^ Treasurer be desired to enquire what may be 
the cost of a bell and clock proper for the College." On June 2, 1725, it 
was " Voted, that the Steward be desired to see the bell for the clock to 
strike on, and give an account of the charges thereof ; and that the care of 
the clock be committed to him for this year to keep it going, and that he 
have £4 for his services in keeping it in order." 

The " Prospect of the Colledges in Cambridge in New England," en- 
graved in 1726 by W. Burgis, represents this clock on the western gable 
of Massachusetts ; and as the dormitory was topped with neither belfry nor 
bellcote, the bell must have been hung behind the dial-panel still affixed to 
the brick wall, the rectangular opening on each side permitting to a limited 
extent the exit of sound waves. 

Dr. Alexander Hamilton, an English traveller, in his itinerarium of 1744 
notes his impressions as to the artistic merits of the three College buildings 
then standing, and incidentally transmits our last knowledge of this bell, 
the fate of which is not known, though it may have been returned to Eng- 
land in partial payment for another, as will appear later. 

* The tolling of the passing bell \yas a notification of death, while the number of 
strokes, called " tellers," indicated the sex. Three times three strokes (3x3) was the 
usual number for a male adult: hence the expression *'nine tellers make a man," 
which has been corruptly applied to the sartorial craft. 

fMrs. Mascarene, daughter of President Holyoke, states in a letter written Janu- 
ary 30, 1764 to her husband John Mascarene, who was then in London: "The Col- 
lege Bell also is gone." (See "The College Fire in 1764," by Henry F. "Waters, in 
the Harvard Register, iii, p. 297.) 

X It is hei-e pertinent to note that coincident with the erection of this dormitory 
there came into use the word "Hall," employed indifferently with the word "Col- 
lege " until 1780. With the demolition of Stoughton College in that year the term 
''College" as an official designation of buildings became obsolete. For the use of the 
words "College" and "Hall," in the United States, see an exhaustive treatment of 
the subject by Albert Matthews, Esq., in Dialect Notes (American Dialect Society) for 
Dec. 1900, ii, 91-114, and Harvard Graduates Magazine for December, 1904, pp. 244-246. 



8 

''The building upon the left hand as you enter the court [Harvard] is the 
largest, handsomest, and most ancient, being about 100 years old ; but the mid- 
dle, or front, building [Old Stoughton] is indifferent and of no taste. That 
upon the right hand [Massachusetts] has a little clock upon it which has a very 
good bell." 

Dr. Hamilton's estimate as to the superior quality of this instrument can 
be accepted as presumably correct, as it was doubtless of English casting, 
no bells at that date having been made in the Colonies ; and small bells of 
that period of foreign importation were more musical, mellow, and pene- 
trating than the products of modern founders. Thus the sweet-toned tre- 
bles of Christ Church, Boston, have a carrying power equal to the heaviest 
bells of the ring, and under favorable conditions are distinctly audible with- 
in the precincts of the College Yard. A bell, such as was connected with 
the clock upon JVIassachusetts, was generally of light weight, suspended 
rigid by means of iron straps and bolts from a beam, to be struck by a 
hammer on its outer sound bow. Not being supplied with headstock or 
wheel it could not be swung. 

FOURTH BELL 

Harvard Hall was promptly rebuilt after the fire at the expense of the 
Province, which assumed responsibility for the loss because the Legislature 
had been occupying it for its sessions in consequence of the prevalence of 
small-pox in Boston. In a new set of " articles respecting the diet of the 
College," adopted by the Corporation, September 10, 1765, reference is 
made to a fourth bell, doubtless raised to the newly erected belfry ; 

"4, The waiters when the bell rings [originally written 'tolls'] at meal 
times shall take the furniture of the tables and the victuals at the kitchen hatch, 
and carry the same to the several tables for which they are designed, immediate- 
ly upon which the bell shall toll," 

In prints and sketches of Harvard Hall taken in the latter part of the 
eighteenth century a clock dial is shown on the gable over the front en- 
trance. Peirce speaks of this clock as still attached to the building in 1831. 
It seems possible, therefore, that the clock may have been transferred thither 
from JNIassachusetts. 

FIFTH BELL 

Tbe fate of the fourth bell is briefly indicated by an entry of January 15, 
1793 : ^ "Voted, that the President and the Treasurer be a Committee to 
procure the recasting of the College Bell lately split, according to their best 
discretion. 

This bell, like its predecessors was ordered from England, and was, 
doubtless, of heavier metal, weighing according to the following invoice 
2 cwt. 3 q. 10 lb., or 318 pounds. Inasmuch as its diameter at the brim 
would measure about 24 inches, the cask charged in the invoice would pro- 
vide a convenient and safe method of packing for the ocean voyage. 

As to the identity of the two bells returned to the founder in part pay- 
ment, one was plainly the bell recently broken upon Harvard Hall, whose 
weight was ^^robably about 2 cwt. This would leave 1 cwt. 2 q. 141b. for 
the weight of a clock bell such as had about that time been removed from 
Massachusetts Hall. In view of the total destruction of Harvard Hall in 
17 04, nothing but the bare walls being left standing, it is inconceivable that 
the Willet Bell should have alone escaped destruction and no record be 
made of it. 

• Coll. Bk. VIII, p. 348. 



Invoice of one Cask shipped by Peter Wainwright & C^. on board the Brig 
Diana Doane, Snow Master, for Boston on Account & Eisque of Eben^ Storer 
Esq' Merchant there & to him Consigned. Liverpool Sepf^. 10th, 1793. 

C. Q. lb. 

1 Bell Weighing 2-3-10 @ 14d. 18.11.0 

Cr. 

By 2 Old Bells \ ^ oi/i i^ i ^ o a ,r 

Allowing for Staples /@^i^- 16. 1 5 2. 9. 7 

Charges Viz 
To Cash p'd Freight of 2 Bells from \ ^ „ 

Boston to Liverpool Cartage &c / ^ 

To Insurance on their Amt. £15.12.6. 

2 Gu^ p C*. - 6.6 

To Cask 6.6 

To Carriage to & from the Founders ------- is.o 

To Commission on £20.8. @ 2^ p C*. 10.2 

To Insui-ance on £20.8.0 @ 2 Gu^ p C*. 8.6 2.16.6 

£5.6.1 
Errors Excepted, 

Peter Wainwright & Co. 

SIXTH BELL 

In the autumn of 1807 the fifth bell appears to have been damaged by 
vandalism on the part of the students, for on November 23 it was " Voted, 
that the President and others be a committee to examine the state of 
Harvard Hall, and to consider the most effectual method of securing it 
against erruption, make an estimate of the expense, and report to the 
Corporation." At this same date it was also voted, " that the President 
be requested to cause a new bell to be purchased for the College on as 
reasonable terms as he can." On January II, 1808, this Committee made 
its report, when it was " Voted, that when a bell is procured for the College, 
the President be requested to cause good security to be provided against 
all improper access, and that a chain be used, instead of a rope, to ring the 
bell as far as [it] is exposed to common access, or below the floor next the 
bell." It may be added that this grotesque suggestion of a chain attach- 
ment, while affording no protection against trespass, would have made the 
proper management of the bell impracticable. 

This sixth bell was cast in 1808 by Paul Revere at his foundry, which 
had been removed in 1804 from the north end of Boston to Canton, this 
estate being still in the possession of his descendants. It weighed 434 
pounds, as recorded in his old stock book now in the possession of William 
B. Revere. 

SEVENTH BELL 

Becoming cracked in 1836 this bell was replaced by another the same 
year weighing 450 pounds, cast by George Handel Holbrook of East 
Medway, Mass. The Holbrook bell was faultily suspended, and became 
broken in 1899, after having been rung for forty-two years by the veteran 
janitor, Mr. Jones. It was preserved for a few years as a relic by Mr. 
Jones, but in 1904 it was given by him to the Harvard Memorial Society 
and was broken up, a part of the bronze being used for tablets placed on 
Hollis and Holworthy Halls. A model of the old bell was made from the 
same metal and presented to Mr. Jones. 

It is a current tradition in Harvard, Mass., that a condemned bell once 
used in Harvard Hall was sold to be placed later on the Baptist church in 



10 

the parish of Still River. This story finds endorsement in the history of 
the town by Henry S. Nourse, while the name of the teamster who is said 
to have hauled the bell from Cambridge is cited by old residents, who are 
even able to describe the pranks by which it was injured. Inasmuch as 
legends of this character usually contain an element of truth, the writer, 
having traced all facts bearing on the matter, ventures to suggest the 
following as the most probable explanation of the error. The bell in 
question, which is indeed cracked, bears the inscription " George Holbrook, 
1807," this being the year when the fifth Harvard bell was wantonly 
damaged ; and, as a further coincidence, it was also the year in which the 
first bell of the town was placed upon the Congregational Church, paid for 
chiefly by private subscription. If it is assumed then that this damaged 
belh was sold for old metal to Holbrook and recast in the same year, it 
would not be unnatural that he should attempt to impart a sentimental 
value by designating it the bell of Harvard Hall. But how, then, are we 
to account for its appearance at Still River, whose church was not erected 
till 1832 ? On this point light is thrown by the inscription on the bell now 
in. use on the Congregational Church, to wit : " G. H. Holbrook, Medway, 
1827," ordered, it would appear, to replace the original bell of 1807 which 
had become cracked. And if the damage to the latter had not been con- 
siderable, or enough to impair materially its tone, it would probably have 
been retained on the chance of disposing of it later for further use. And 
this opportunity was certainly presented five years later, when a bell, now 
said to have been slightly cracked at the time of purchase, was given in 1832 
to be hung upon the Baptist Church in Still River, completed in that year. 
If this theory is correct, then the fact that this cracked bell is composed in 
part at least of the metal of the Harvard bell may afford some consolation 
for the correction of this fiction. 

To most living alumni of Harvard the clear-toned, aggressive sound of 
Holbrook's bell will have been the most familiar, and it will be of interest 
to know that Major George Holbrook acquired the art of bell casting by 
serving as api^rentice to Paul Revere at his original foundry at the northern 
extremity of Boston. He started to cast bells on his own account in 
Brookfield, and was establishing a lucrative business when, by the endorse- 
ment -of -notes, he became financially ruined. He was thus obliged to re- 
linquish his home and retire impoverished to his native town, Wrentham. 
While livino- there in retirement he manao^ed to secure the contract for 
casting a bell for the new meeting-house in East Medway. The casting 
was done in an improvised structure and in the presence of a concourse of 
people in East Medway. His success in turning out a bell of excellent 
tone*, led to the oif er of capital and the establishment of a foundry in the 
place, conducted by four successive generations until the year 1880. 
During this period these bells acquired a rej^utation equal to that of the 
best English and Belgian founders, the best known in Boston being those 
in the Hollis Street and the West Church towers. No attempt was ever 
made at this foundry, nor by Revere, to cast a chime, or peal, a matter of 
much greater difiiculty than making single bells. 

EIGHTH BELL 

The present bell in Harvard Hall, cast by Meneely & Co. of West Troy, 
Y.', weighs 550 pounds. It was first rung January 7, 1900. 
In 181)4 an appeal was made througli the Harvard Graduates^ Magazine 
for a comjjlete ring of heavy bells to be hung in the tower of Memorial 




MASSACHUSETTS HALL, 1911 



11 

Hall, designed to facilitate the introduction of scientific change ringing, as 
practiced at Cambridge and Oxford Universities. In reponse to this appeal 
the entire amount necessary to defray the cost of such a peal was promptly 
offered, and from two different sources. The scheme, however, met with 
failure, for an inspection of the imposing tower by engineers disclosed the 
surprising fact that its walls were too unstable to withstand the thrust of 
even light bells swung upon the principle of the pendulum, while all other 
requirements of a ringing guild, including a ringing chamber, had been 
omitted from the architect's designs. 

NINTH BELL 

Memorial Hall now contains a clock and fine-toned bell of 3000 pounds, 
cast by Van Duzen & Co. of Cincinnati, the gift of the class of 1872, 
installed and formally presented after Commencement, 1897. 

It has been suggested that the site of old Stoughton might be appropri- 
ately marked by the erection of a lofty campanile which would serve for a 
clock and peal of bells. Indeed, within a few years a very large sum has 
been offered to the College, more than adequate to provide for the con- 
struction of such a monument. This offer was, however, declined from the 
feeling that any benefit thus accruing to the College would be hardly com- 
mensurate with the amount expended. 

Shortly afterwards came another offer of a ring of twelve heavy bells as 
a memorial of a graduate of the Class of 1847. This generous offer was 
likewise made in vain, one of the reasons assigned being that no tower 
was available for its installation. 

Incidentally, it may be mentioned that change ringing on tower bells has 
been systematically taught for several years at Groton School. Hence 
there can always be found at Cambridge graduates of this school sufficient 
in number to make up a guild of experienced ringers qualified to manage 
church bells of any weight. 

The data above collated establish the fact, not before noted, that of fif- 
teen bells listed below, comprising all known to have been in use in Mas- 
sachusetts up to 1680, inclusive, three were hung within the precincts of the 
present College Yard, viz. the original College bell, that of Willet, and 
the bell of the First Parish Church (Shepard). 

No. Locality Tear 

1 Newtown (Cambridge; carried to Hartford in the Emi- 1632 

gration of 1636) 

2 Salem 1638 

3 Boston, Eirst Church 1641 

4 Original CoUege Bell 1643 

5 Ipswich 1647 

6 Watertown 1648 

7 Cambridge, First Parish Church (Shepard) 1648 

8 Charlestown, First Church 1657 

9 Maiden 1658 

10 Harvard College, Willet's BeU circa 1659 

11 Medfield 1661 

12 Dorchester 1662 

13 Portsmouth, N. H. 1664 

14 Hadley 1670 

15 Plymouth 1679 

For valuable assistance in searching the College Records the writer is 
indebted to the Librarian, William C. Lane, and to Albert Matthews, Esq. 




HARVARD HALL, 1911 






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